If I’m ever in need of inspiration, the National Film Board of Canada’s website is an absolute goldmine of films ranging from the 1930’s to present. For myself, it’s their documentary nature films in particular that capture the imagination.

This film is a short doc about Canada’s arctic from the NFB’s earlier years (c1958). I’m considering posting a few more of these over the next few weeks, so I’d be interested in knowing what you think.

I see even bigger things happening for Soundcloud in the future, mainly the community within it coming closer so I decide to start a guide of people to follow if you like what’s on ISO50. One of the most stylized and trusted labels out of Germany is Raster Noton, its always beautiful to see a brand have control and always be able to experiment. It might be an odd one but its a great source, why not a PR company that chooses to covers some good bands. My old DJ partners are both off doing family and travelling but the Worst Friends project is still alive and well.

It would be difficult to understate the influence of Lawren Harris’ abstract landscapes on Canadian identity. As a founding member of The Group of Seven, Harris pioneered a distinctly Canadian school of art that departed from European contemporaries of the same era. Minimal in texture and detail, his grandiose landscapes use sweeping curves and simplified abstract forms to capture a wider, almost spiritual representation of a landscape.

Fairly covering Harris’ entire career in a single blog post is tricky, but what I’ve presented here are the some of his best known works from Northern Ontario (Lake Superior) in the 1920’s and the Rocky Mountains and Arctic during the 1930’s. I’ve also provided a look at some of the more abstract, but less celebrated work he painted during the late 1930’s and 40’s. Overall, I find most of what he painted during these years to imbue a remarkable sense of modernism, and something I’m hoping readers of ISO50 can appreciate.

I know some of you are most likely familiar with the Group of Seven and Lawren Harris, but if not I would love to know what you think and if you find the work inspiring.

School Of Seven Bells have a new EP out this month, this collection has the clearest path of understanding to their sound for people just discovering them. Its full of thoughtful unique layers which pop music keeps missing away from.

Chrome Sparks puts together a colorful take on slowed up beat music, rich in brightness and moving parts.

Matthewdavid crawls around the head of recent Stone Throw signee Chrome Canyon single and replaces the brain with a more lively out of this world one.

Today, I bring you an incredibly talented individual, Benjamin JeanJean. I am very envious of not only his work, but his surroundings and life in general. An excerpt from his own biography reads:

“Deeply rooted in the surf and skateboard culture, Benjamin JJ follows life at his own pace on the French Atlantic coast: he drives a 1965 404 Peugeot; lives in an old house he renovated himself, packed with vintage furniture and art pieces; surfs on an old school longboard and takes pictures with a medium format analog camera. Time seems timeless for him. ”

Sounds like the life, if you ask me. Benjamin is well-versed in design, surfing (both shaping and riding), and photography. In todays world, everyone uses their computer or their digital cameras (or phones) to create art, but I find it refreshing to see someone who doesn’t mind getting dirty and taking the time to really put a bit of himself into the things he creates. From pencil and paper, to a surfboard. I love the idea of creating something beautiful that you can also use and enjoy beyond just looking at it.

He has inspired me to pick up a pencil and paper, start working with my hands more, and live my life the way I want to live it.

Stunning images from various Google data centers around the world. I’m always amazed when I see how intricate and complex all this network routing can get, but the images I’m most drawn to in these galleries are the photos that show the routing of something else: water.

The cooing tech seems just as complex as the rest of it all, and they make great use of color to help identify different water types and their functions. For example, in Hamina Finland, one color designates highly pressurized clean and filtered water for use in the event of a fire, while another designates seawater pulled from the Gulf of Finland, used solely for cooling purposes.

Lorn fans: if you haven’t already, you need to go and download his latest free offering in the Lorn & Dolor beat-tape series. If you’ve been following these then you only need to download part IV – otherwise hit the PARTS I-IV link for the whole thing zipped up.

The series is compilation of unreleased material and sketches all with Lorn’s usual HEAVY hitting dark yet ethereal and beautiful sound. It might not flow like a ‘mix’ (it clearly wasn’t intended to), but it’s surprisingly cohesive, given the jumpy/cut nature of some of the transitions.

I’m not sure who this ‘mysterious’ Dolor fellow is – but judging from the severe lack of info on him online and the similarity in sound, I’m thinking it’s just an alias of Lorn himself. Then again, in 1996 when I first heard Feed Me Weird Things I was absolutely convinced Squarepusher was Richard D. James.